One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

One Hundred Words

This year will see the continuation of our high school’s relationship with WilsonDailyPrep, a program that prepares students for the S.A.T. through vocabulary lists, close reading exercises, and grammar lessons. This post contains links to the words themselves, plus a set of charts that reinforce the definitions; you should focus, however, on the inquiry-based guide below. Read it carefully. As it suggests, you will not spend class time being told how to memorize these words; instead, you will be given class time to determine how you believe you should learn these words, and not just in order to regurgitate them. First, the links:

Regurgitation of WilsonDailyPrep definitions-You must be able to match a word to its WDP definition
-You must also be able to provide the word when given a sentence with a blank

Regurgitation of full definition(s)-You must be able to repeat the denotation of the word from a reputable dictionary
-Incorporation of terms into explanatory sentences

You must be able to write your own sentences using the word-These sentences must be complex enough to work only if the word is used, i.e., no other word will fit in its place

Connotations and applications-You must be able to explain how the word is commonly used, or how it differs in usage from similarly defined words
-You must be able to explore the connotations (not denotations) of the word

Required Preparation

You must develop a method of learning these words well enough that you can handle any of the above assessments. You will not be given checkpoint grades; you will, however, be given several days in class to begin and/or continue your preparations. Recognize that simple memorization of the WDP definitions will not be enough.

Skills

Memorization

Regurgitation

Connective Analysis

Connotative Insight

Foresight and Planning

Use of Offline Resources

Use of Online Resources

Explanatory Writing

Quiz Dates

Your will be responsible for Lists 1-10 from the WilsonDailyPrep vocabulary book. They will be assessed in order, and you will be given a week’s notice before any quiz is given.